


Rubies and emeralds

by DarkMoon9058



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft - Fandom, Minecraft Youtubers, mcyt
Genre: Dream Needs A Hug, Dream has two personalities, Except Sapnap, George is kinda an asshole, Kinda TW, Kinda inspired by Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman, Nightmare, Nightmare!Dream, No one likes Dream, No shipping, Ocean, Other, Ranboo and Dream are friends, Ranboo has two personalities, Sapnap is accepting, Sea, Youll get the hang of it eventually, dream - Freeform, idk how to tag this, little bit confusing, nightmare is an asshole, ships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 16:47:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28888599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkMoon9058/pseuds/DarkMoon9058
Summary: There are multiple personalities inside a person. By 8 or 10 most people’s personalities had blended into one. One that might change from time to time, but for the most part remained the same. It was common knowledge that Ranboo was not one of these cases; it was evident in the changes his body went through. Half of one thing and half the other. One half was caring and generous, almost Tubbo-like but with a Techno sense of humour. The other was dark and cunning, though caring and loyal. Once one took control, the other wouldn’t remember what had happened during the change. Everybody knows Ranboo was the only case in the Dream SMP. Everybody knew he had two personalities. Everybody knew he had memory problems. Everybody knew it was only Ranboo. Right?
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Floris | Fundy & Jschlatt, Alexis | Quackity & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Ranboo (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream & Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Niki | Nihachu & Toby Smith | Tubbo
Comments: 7
Kudos: 109





	1. Splits

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I have no idea what I'm doing, but here, have a thing I wrote  
> First chapter kinda sketchy and a little bit confusing, the next chapters will probably either clear things up or make them more confusing.

There are multiple personalities inside a person. By 8 or 10 most people’s personalities had blended into one. One that might change from time to time, but for the most part remained the same. It was common knowledge that Ranboo was not one of these cases; it was evident in the changes his body went through. Half of one thing and half the other. One half was caring and generous, almost Tubbo-like but with a Techno sense of humour. The other was dark and cunning, though caring and loyal. Once one took control, the other wouldn’t remember what had happened during the change. Everybody knows Ranboo was the only case in the Dream SMP. Everybody knew he had two personalities. Everybody knew he had memory problems. Everybody knew it was only Ranboo. Right?  
Nightmare was a special case. He only came out to play when his host was too emotionally destroyed to fight him back. He didn’t cause amnesia. He wanted his host to remember every single thing he does in his place. Such as all the people hurt, all the builds destroyed, all the little things that made their friends worry. His host’s body didn’t change or distort due to the changes. Nightmare suspected it was because he was a late bloomer; they only knew of Nightmare’s existence after his host had matured and grown. The only tell was the different coloured eye hidden by a mask of white porcelain. Nobody knows his host had a split. Nobody knew Ranboo wasn’t the only one. Nobody knows that Dream didn’t mean to do anything he’d done. But nobody had to know, and Nightmare intended to keep it that way.


	2. Waking to find waging war

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream wakes up from a split to find himself in the middle of a duel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I'm probably going to end up publishing all the chapters within a 2 hour time period lmao

Dream woke up with a start. He was standing on a wooden bridge suspended above clear blue water. The hills to his left raised up and up, standing on them were his friends. To his right was the community house, standing tall in the middle of the lake. In front of him was Tommy, holding a wooden bow and an arrow. He became aware of the bow in his own hands. For a moment he wondered why he was here before memory hit him like a brick. He would’ve fallen over if he wasn’t used to this by now. Memories of things he hadn’t done filled his head. Memories of war and death, fires and explosions, swords and shields. And as he watched the fear in Tommy’s eyes resurface and fester, he felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. If he was strong enough to fight Nightmare off, none of this would have happened. But he couldn’t show mercy now. They’d be suspicious. He saw Tommy turn around and did the same, hoping it was the right thing to do as his mind racked through all the possible outcomes of the situation he was currently in. He heard Wilbur begin to count, loud and clear, and his body began to take steps for every count. A duel. Nightmare had engaged in a duel. A duel Dream had to win or else he risked losing everything he wanted to fix. And so he played along, relaxing his heartbeat and acting to be fine. Everything was fine, was it not? He heard Wilbur reach ten. Dream whipped around like a spinning top and drew his bow, firing almost instantly. He didn’t want to hurt Tommy. Tommy didn’t deserve any of this. So he aimed to graze Tommy’s stomach, right underneath the arm lifted to knock the arrow. Not enough to wound him, but enough to get him on his knees. It wouldn’t be as painful as other spots Dream could have gone for, but it would certainly bleed a lot. George and Sapnap cheered off to the side and he heard the sounds of Tommy’s knees hitting the deck. It filled him with a sense of sympathy, guilt, and sadness. But he couldn’t act on any of these emotions before he was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug presented by George. In all reality, Dream didn’t like George all that much. Judging by the memories Nightmare always left him with, George viewed him as nothing but a servant. Someone who would obey any command given. But Dream was too afraid to disobey an order. What would happen then? Nobody besides Sapnap knew who Dream operated under. Everyone already thought Dream was the bad guy and George was his lackey. If Dream crossed George, all George had to do was a scream, and suddenly all Dream would be left with would be Sapnap and the burnt ashes of a friendship, and his house.   
“...I guess you really did it, huh,” Sapnap said in a voice only Dream could hear.   
“I know you didn’t want to do it. So why did you?” Dream didn’t know how to answer that question. It wasn’t a choice. It wasn’t his decision. It never was. It was always Nightmare’s. Dream didn’t have a say in anything. So he left the question unanswered as he watched Wilbur bandage Tommy on the other side of the bridge. Was the pain of others really worth keeping a secret?


	3. The Creaking Ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream finds himself on the ship. Again. It seems he's been here forever. Nightmare wants to steer them into the storm, while Dream just wants to sail the peaceful waves of the clear sky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did I tell ya

He was back on the ship. Just like that. The wood creaked below his feet and the wood smelled of rotting kelp and barnacles, two smells that didn’t intertwine. He was at the wheel, steering it clear of the storms and clouds around the sea. The bow of the ship rocked side to side with a startling creak. Dream felt the presence of the captain behind him, followed by his parrot and someone Dream didn’t want to see.   
“It’s not your turn on the wheel. It’s never your turn on the wheel. So why do you continue to steer us clear of stormy weather if we want to explore the thunder?” The captain asked him. Dream knew better to respond by now. The captain had the highest authority on the ship. If you spoke to him he had the upper hand to put you back in your place. If you didn’t speak to him, you almost had free will, aside from the fact that you’re still confined to the creaking haul of the ship and the sleazy attitude of the other crewmates.   
“Your turn, your turn!” The parrot repeated. It seemed the parrot was the only part of the ship that seemed to like Dream. It was light green in colour, a sort of pale lime green with red-tipped feathers dancing along his wings and tail. He tended to repeat sentences said by the captain and the captain only. Yet when the captain seems to be gone, he spoke more than the words the captain had said his whole life. The person standing behind the three in the front seemed to be agitated. He was wearing a tight-fit red hoodie, sleeves cut off near his elbows revealing long black sleeves that cut off around his wrists. His hair was blonde-grey almost as if he was old, yet Dream knew he was as young as himself. His face was dusted with tan-grey freckles over pale skin, almost a direct mirror of Dream’s own face. His eyes were ruby red.  
“You heard the captain.” He spoke up, aiming words at Dream. “If you keep this up pretty soon you’ll be scrubbing the decks clean of algae” He spoke with words of truth, Dream knew, yet he knew he wouldn’t have to unless he spoke to the captain directly. It was best if he didn’t speak to any of them. Except perhaps the parrot.   
“I expect you to be off the wheel by this evening. If you aren’t the next time you’re off it you’ll be re-tying the sails to the poles” The captain keened, turning heel to behind and walking away as if he owned the place. Which technically he did. The parrot squawked and stayed behind, flapping at the red wearing man.   
“Heard the captain, heard the captain” he repeated, flapping his wings out and back in as if to shoo him away.   
“I’ll get you next time, Dream” he sneered before scampering off to follow the captain. Dream’s skin pricked at the silence, and he felt the parrot land on his shoulder.   
“Storms approach! Storms approach! Steer clear of them! He takes the wheel, storms approach, storms approach!” The sound was as loud as the booming thunder of the lightning bolts in the storms in Dream’s ears.   
“Tell me something I don’t know”


	4. The festival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream wakes up right before Tubbo's execution just in time to witness Techno's genocide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :/

The next time Dream woke he was looking down on a festival of sorts. Decorations were put up around the square, somewhere he vaguely recognized as a previously empty L’Manberg area. The walls were gone, yet he knew this place quite well. On the stage was a man Dream had never seen before. He was wearing a classy black suit with a red tie, giant ram horns growing from his dark brown hair over blood-red eyes and an evil smirk. Beside him stood Quackity, tall and regal as if anyone found that threatening. And behind both of them was Tubbo, trapped in a black and yellow box. Just like the walls of L’Manberg. The final person of the podium stood in front of the box. It was Technoblade, standing tall holding a crossbow loaded with fireworks aimed directly at Tubbo’s head. Dream’s eyes scanned the crowd, eyeing their reactions to gauge how serious this predicament was. Tommy looked outraged and fearful, Niki looked worried and surprised, Eret looked mad, Fundy looked like rage, and the rest of the crowd held their emotions behind metaphorical masks. Dream looked back to the stage, tuning into the speech Schlatt was currently giving.   
“-Traitor!” Dream got a sense of what was happening. Tubbo was a spy. He had been caught. He’s going to get killed. Dream’s senses told him to stop this execution and save the teenager, yet he couldn’t get his body to move. It was like the wheel to his movements was jammed, steering him straight into the storms and jutted rocks of the sea. There was no stopping this, Dream knew. He only hoped Tubbo wasn’t in his last life. The last time Dream had been awake, he had helped Techno out by giving him supplies. He fell under a deep sleep soon after, and now that he had woken again, he wished he hadn’t given Technoblade anything. The last thing he saw before everything got bright as a flash of white, red, and blue and the sounds of a launching firework. Dream shut his eyes tight and covered his ears, the sounds disorienting his steering. He felt himself lose grip on his control, yet he pushed back so powerfully that he forced the ship to stabilize. When he opened his eyes, all the noise was gone. All the people were gone. The only one standing was the man himself, pig mask glinting with the blood of the ones he had killed. For a moment Dream wondered if this was actual reality. Maybe he wasn’t actually here at the stage and witnessing mass murder. But he knew he was, and no matter how hard he wished he wasn’t, he always would be. He also knew that he was still alive for a reason. Perhaps it was because Techno was afraid Dream would kill him before he got the chance. Perhaps it was because Techno hadn’t seen him. But the most likely reason was that Techno knew Dream was currently unstable. Dream wouldn’t be surprised if Techno knew. Techno just seemed to know things, like the ship’s navigator. But maybe Techno had just decided not to anger the god of the server. Or maybe Dream was overreacting.


	5. Clean the ship, get the wheel back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He has to get back to the wheel. Who know's what might happen if he doesn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly this fic is getting more confusing the more i write it.

This time Dream wasn’t the one steering the ship. He had spoken to the captain. The captain had forcefully shoved him off the wheel for talking back and set Dream’s stunt-double to steer instead. The underside of the ship groaned and rocked side to side as it was steered into rocks and rain as if he wanted the ship to sink. In the green-clad man’s hand were a big cloth and a bucket of warm soapy water that he was meant to scrub the green growing substance with. Whenever he spoke back to the captain, instantly he was sent to clean some aspect of the ship, even if the wood was already polished, the splinters sanded, the haul cleaned, the rooms organized or the dust dusted. It seemed the captain only sent Dream to clean things when he wanted his doppelganger to steer the ship. And judging by the number of algae growing at the base of the ship, it would be a while yet until he could be by the wheel again. Serves him right for talking back. The other crewmen who littered the shadows down here seem to look like Halloween decorations. Their hooks looked fake and plastic rather than mettle, and their clothing looked like that of a kid’s costume. Dream would have been laughing at them if he didn’t believe that their plastic hooks could gouge out his eyes. Each one of them looked at him with cold sunken eyes as if he was the reason they’d been placed down here. Which he might have been, though Dream couldn’t recall having ever met half of the crewmates. He felt the parrot land on his shoulder, instantly the crew snapping their eyes off of Dream and onto their chosen tasks.   
“He’s steering us deep. Must work faster. Get back to the wheel” he squawked. Dream’s limbs protested, but he scrubbed faster.


	6. Tell a sailer, the captain sneers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sapnap deserves to know, does he not?

“Aren’t you being a bit harsh?” Sapnap asked him one morning over breakfast. George had gone out ten minutes prior, leaving at least an hour open for conversation.   
“What makes you think that?” Nightmare responded. Sapnap poked at his breakfast with his fork.   
“This...just isn’t like you, y’know? You’d never hurt Tommy or Tubbo, you’d speak up if George was pushing boundaries, you’d...be more like yourself”   
“People change, Sapnap” Nightmare responded, forcing Dream’s voice to sound dismissive. Sapnap sighed and continued to poke at his food.   
“...I’d like to see your eyes,” he requested. Nightmare stiffened.   
“...Why?” he asked. Sapnap looked down at his plate.   
“You used to show them to me all the time...I don’t understand what’s changed” Nightmare opened his mouth to respond when he felt the wheel being ripped from underneath him, his feet placing themselves firmly back on the wooden ship, looking up to see Dream on the wheel again, steering the wooden vessel out of the ravenous waves Nightmare had put them in.   
Dream took a second to consider his current situation. Eating breakfast with Sapnap. But what was the conversation about?   
“Dream?” Sapnap called. Dream snapped to attention.   
“What?” he asked. He heard Sapnap sigh.   
“I asked to see your eyes” he informed. Dream paused for a moment before slowly reaching up to his mask with his right hand, shifting it to the left to show his green eye.   
“And the other?” Sapnap pushed. Dream debated his situation, before feeling his hand move all on its own, taking off the mask and revealing the red-eye no one had seen for years.   
“...Are you a split?” his friend asked. What a straightforward question.   
“Oh, I’m sorry, that was rude of me to ask. But are you?” Dream smiled at the curiosity in Sapnap, and he gave a slight nod. Sapnap’s eyes widened.   
“That’s so cool! What’s your tell? What’s he like?” Dream couldn’t explain what Nightmare was like.   
“Both my eyes turn red when he’s in control. And he’s….” he paused. Sapnap keened, leaning in to better hear Dream’s next words. “A nightmare” Dream concluded. Sapnap leaned back, knitting his eyebrows together.   
“I’m guessing the majority of hurtful things you’ve done were your split and not you, right?” Sapnap guessed. Dream nodded.   
“It’s hard to keep the wheel of the ship when the captain keeps sending you to clean the polls,” Dream told him. He was met with a confused stare, but he didn’t dare elaborate. It could lead to trouble with the captain if he did.   
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me” Sapnap told him anyway. Dream appreciated that, even if Nightmare didn’t.


	7. The new Split down the street

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream meets Ranboo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is lowkey kinda confusing. If you have questions, comment and I'll try to answer your question

Word on the street was that another split had arrived in the SMP. His name was Ranboo. Dream had instantly noticed why people had known so early that he was a split. Half of the guy was a black colour with a green eye and the other was white with a red-eye. He wore a business suit like Schlatt and a golden crown, like Eret. And unlike Dream, his split was obvious. He became all black or all white. Most of the time, he was an in-between, as if he and his split actually got along sometimes, something Dream couldn’t imagine him and Nightmare doing. It was either one or the other, and though it might have been nice to have them both steering at once, he doubted Nightmare would be as open to the idea as he was. The first splits' name was Void. He was overly cheery and surpassed Tubbo on the kindness scale to the point where he was overbearing and slightly annoying. The second split was Ender, who was cold and enjoyed a lot of the things Techno did, such as anarchy and drop-kicking children. And the host was Ranboo, a normal person who shared a body and a personality with both Void and Ender. He was both of them at once, so kind and caring like Void and so cold and calculating like Ender. But some of him was just Ranboo, such as his brain or his sarcasm.   
When Dream first met Ranboo, he seemed just like everyone else. He seemed to get along with the Sleepy Bois, and even surpassed Tommy and Wilbur on Phil’s ‘favourites’ list. But Dream would never forget the first words Ranboo had ever said to him.   
“You seem different from the rest. I wonder why that is” Afterwards Ranboo had gone to introduce himself to Eret and Niki, leaving Dream to stare at the empty spot he had once stood in, yet again picturing the ship, tilting and rocking in the sea as he struggled to steer it clear of panic and stress. Yet he pushed Nightmare away from the wheel and continued to steer, turning himself to look at the clearing, presenting himself as always watching and powerful, even though he felt insignificant and small.   
‘You’re not the first and you will not be the last’ was printed on the banner of the ship. It never failed to make him feel insignificant and singled out at the same time. He often wondered who wrote the words. It was much too meaningful for it to have been the captain and too tied together to be the parrot. Dream had a sinking feeling it had been written by Nightmare.   
“Hey, you alright?” Sapnap had asked him. Dream had nodded and given a smile no one could see.   
“I’m fine” What was the harm in a little white lie? 

Ranboo seemed to be all the rage. Dream was almost forgotten among the streets, and though he still made people shiver in fear and straighten up when he passed, Ranboo got so much more praise than Dream ever got. He was babied and pampered whenever a split happened and he was informed of lost memories whenever he claimed to have forgotten things. Dream wasn’t sure whether that was a lie or not. Dream never forgot the things Nightmare does in his body. Sure he may not remember for the first few moments, but it all comes rushing back eventually, right? So why had Ranboo looked at him with genuine confusion when he mentioned something Ender had done? Why had Ender not remembered something that Void had done? And why couldn’t Ender or Void remember some things that Ranboo had done? Was it a choice? Could splits choose whether or not their hosts remembered things? Was that the case? Dream wouldn’t be surprised if Nightmare was making him remember all the horrible things done as a way of tormenting him further.   
“Hey...Void, right?” Dream flagged down Ranboo, who was now completely white, signifying that Void was in control of the body.   
“Yes, my name is Void. Is there something you’d like me to do? Are you alright? You don’t look so swell, buddy!” This was something Dream hadn’t liked about Void. He was overly cheerful and kind. Though Dream suspected Void wanted to kill him. He’d never threatened Dream, pulled a knife out, talked about Dream, or even looked at him funny. But dream fully believed that Void had it out for him. Or maybe he was just being paranoid.   
“No, I just want to talk to-”   
“Because I know something that always helps!” Void interrupted him and a big smile. Dream kept himself from recoiling, and instead just put one hand up to signify Void pushing a boundary. Instantly the taller backed up and wore an apologetic expression. Which would have been nice if Dream hadn’t thought of Void killing him with an obsidian plated dagger in a dark cave with so much as a lantern for a light source.   
“A Hershey’s Kiss!” Void dropped small wrapped chocolate in Dream’s palm and gave him a giant smile. “Feel better soon!” He then disappeared into the crowd, leaving Dream holding melting chocolate and a dead-end conversation.


	8. The captain on Ranboo's ship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream asks Ender a few questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting more confusing as we go along

The next time Dream had spoken to Ranboo, it was with Ender. Ender was colder then Void by a significant amount and was obviously half Enderman. His purple eyes glowed brightly in the night or day time, and his skin was black and textured like an enderman. He even had a few scales by his eyes and a dragon tail.   
“What do you want?” he spat immediately after Dream had stepped into his space.   
“A chat” Dream said back, settling himself a few feet away from the other. Ender eyed him suspiciously.   
“And why should I trust you?”  
“You shouldn’t. But the captain says you should” Dream didn’t know if Ranboo had a ship as he did, but judging by Ender’s reaction Dream’s guess was right.   
“How did you know about the captain?” Ender asked suspiciously, glare intensifying.   
“Research. Lots and lots of research” Dream responded. Ender scoffed.   
“Another fanboy, eh? Ran and Void sure attract a lot of caring idiots” Ender muttered. Dream shook his head.   
“I actually knew that before I met you three. It was for a school project” Lying had become as easy as counting but Dream wasn’t quite sure when he had developed the skill to lie.   
“Interesting, what did you want to talk about?” Ender asked him. Dream chooses his words carefully.   
“I just wanted to know if the memory thing was a choice or not. Do you and Void willingly erase the memory of what you do during splits to minimize Ranboo’s guilt over things he can't control?” Dream asked.   
“That’s a pretty specific question,” Ender said skeptically, tail flickering from side to side as an idle threat. Dream didn’t feel threatened, which was concerning considering he was paranoid of Void wanting to kill him.   
“Well in all the books I’ve read about splits they state that the person remembers what a split did. But Ranboo doesn’t” Dream lied between his teeth.   
“Hm. It’s really none of your business, but yes we do choose to erase Ranboo’s memory of things we do. It makes him pointlessly and annoyingly clueless, but it’s better than sobbing his eyes out because I said ‘shut up’ to one of his friends” Ender said offhandedly, staring at nothing in particular.   
Dream decided not to overstep his boundaries and left the conversation at that. He didn’t speak to Ranboo for a week after.


	9. The splatting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something happens and Dream visits Ranboo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still open to questions. This is the end of the mini-story thing and was more for the concept than the storyline. Feel free to use to the concept for your own writing if you'd like.

Today seemed to be a different day then every other day. Dream woke up in control of everything which barely ever happened in his day to day life. He put on his mask and got changed, not bothering to look the least bit intimidating. He was feeling more snappy and moody than usual, but it wasn’t the worst he’d ever felt. He took a step outside his house, and risked blinking. In Dream’s world, blinking might entail missing millions of different actions people made day to day. He didn’t like not being aware of these choices. As he walked, several people looked up at him in shock and surprise. And when they thought he wasn’t aware they began to follow him down the street. It made him feel like when he first arrived on the ship. The only blue in a field of orange or the only weed in the field of flowers. He hated that feeling, and he hated even more that he was used to the feeling. He was made aware of why people were staring at him when he reached Sapnap.   
“Whoah, dude, did you dye half your hair or something? Why are there black tentacles sprouting out of your back?” He had asked. Instantly Dream had gone on guard and turned his head to find that there were indeed black tentacles sprouting out of his back. They were dripping some sort of black liquid outlined in glowing dark cyan. Panic sprouted in his chest, yet he concealed it.   
“That’s...new” he remarked. He didn’t like how high and panicked his voice sounded. Sapnap gave him a look of concern.   
“Now that I think about it, you kinda look like Ranboo...but Dream. Y’know? Like half one thing half the other. Half your hair is black and you have tentacles. Oooo, now I want to see your eyes!” Sapnap exclaimed. Dream began to tremble.   
“M-Maybe later,” he said. His voice was shaking and he didn’t like that. Sapnap tilts his head in worry.   
“Dream...I think you should calm down. Find a place to hide from the crowd and wait there. Maybe go to Ranboo’s?” Sapnap lowered his voice “You’re booth splits, so he has to know something, right?” Dream nodded as if to say it was a good idea and ran off down the street without another word. Sapnap doesn’t follow, and instead draws his sword and prevents the crowd from following, threatening harm to anyone who tries. Dream weaved through the streets, quickly finding himself on Ranboo’s doorstep. He rang the doorbell multiple times, wanting to get inside before the captain could force him off the wheel. Finally, the door opened, and Dream pushed himself inside much to Ranboo’s surprise.   
“Dream?” he echoed, closing the door quickly, sensing the emotion of the situation.   
“I don’t know what’s happening and-” Ranboo cut him off with a gentle and calm voice.   
“It looks like you’re a split-”  
“I know that!”  
“When did you find out?”   
“Four years ago”  
“Has anything like this ever happened?”  
“No!” Dream exclaimed. Ranboo gently touched Dream’s shoulder.   
“Maybe your split decided to merge with you. Like how Void and Ender merged for me so we can be three at once” Ranboo suggested. Dream shook his head.   
“Absolutely no way. Nightmare hates me and wouldn’t do anything like this for me” Dream ruled out that option. Ranboo was silent for a moment, and Dream’s breathing spiked.   
“How about you visit the ship to see what it looks like over there” Dream nodded and exhaled sharply.   
“Yeah...Yeah, okay” Dream sat down on Ranboo’s couch. Ranboo left the room to leave Dream be.   
The ship’s boards didn’t creak underneath his feet. The ship’s crewmates didn’t mutter when he appeared on deck. The parrot didn’t land on his shoulder. The captain didn’t scold him for being at the wheel. He opened his eyes. The ship was shimmering with golden plated metals and fresh wood as if it had been restored to its former glory. The captain was standing in front of him, a beady ruby eye staring him down.   
“It seems Nightmare turned out to be a splatter. All his negativity has passed to you. You are now in full control of the ship. Congratulations Dream, you are no longer in need of our assistance” Dream’s mind laced with confusion. Nightmare was a splatter? Splatting meant jumping off the edge of the ship and falling into the void below. No one knows whether or not Splatter’s die when they hit the water, or if they’re transferred to a different world. All Dream knew was that if Nightmare was a split and turned out to be a splatter, then all his personality and power shifted to the nearest split...or in this case, Dream. Then the ship disappeared, leaving Dream in a void of floating nothingness, which filled with thoughts and string, threads tying things together and images of things Dream had seen. In front of him was a reflection of himself. Dream’s eyes widened. Half of his honey-blonde hair was black and half his freckles had turned grey-tan like Nightmare’s, while the other half stayed sun-kissed. On his back were four black streaming tentacles that dripped but never left a mess. His eyes remained the same, one ruby red and the other emerald. Except there was a hint of gold in each. Dream might have wondered how that was possible, but he didn’t and instead found himself back in Ranboo’s living room. Ranboo was reading a book in the chair next to him, waiting for Dream to return from his thoughts.   
“Nightmare was a splatter” he whispered. Ranboo’s eyes widened and he put his book down.   
“You’re no longer a split?” he asked in awe. Dream shook his head.   
“No...I’m now Dream, AND Nightmare in one...So I have some of Nightmare’s traits now...Like these weird tentacles, the freckles, the hair and the eyes” Dream told him. Ranboo tilted his head.   
“I’ve never heard of that before. How long do you think it’ll take you to cope?”   
“Maybe a month. My thoughts aren’t running a million miles an hour anymore”  
“That’s nice”


End file.
